Netflix quietly added a sequel to Keanu Reeves’ underrated cult fantasy hit, but now it’s on its way out

The idea of Keanu Reeves playing a samurai sounds incredible, as does the idea of ​​him joining forces with other samurai to fight supernatural threats. 47 Ronin falls far short of that potential, as its difficult production led to a messy film that was barely held together by a handful of performances; the main ones were Hiroyuki Sanada And Tadanobu Asanowhich recently met at Shogun. Although it was a huge box office bomb, 47 Ronin would give birth to a sequel nine years after its release with Blade of the 47 Ronin.

Blade of the 47 Ronin takes place 300 years after the events of 47 Roninwhen a thief named Luna (Anna Akana) tries to sell a sword that the 47 Ronin used to kill the witch Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi). She ends up becoming embroiled in the war between the samurai and the witch Yurei (Daniel Southworth)as the surviving samurai clans believe that she is the descendant of the 47 Ronin. What follows is a film that could even be more crazy than its predecessor, but Netflix users he only has until October 24 before leaving the streamer.

“Blade of the 47 Ronin” has a unique creative pedigree

The director of Blade of the 47 Ronin, Ron Yuanhas a long career as a martial artist and stunt choreographer, and it shows throughout the film. Most fights are very stylizedfeaturing intense swordplay and martial arts action; we are far from the CGI creations which peppered 47 Roninbut it also looks more interesting than its predecessor. Screenwriters Aimee Garcia And Mendez also introduce many elements that wouldn’t seem out of place in an anime, including a pair of magical swords that determine the fate of the world.

Blade of the 47 Ronin also owes a lot to its casting, who gives everything to his performances. Akana’s Luna is a sardonic yet talented protagonist in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer mold, and audiences can’t help but root for her. Southworth, having previously starred in fan-favorite genre films like The devil may cry And Power Rangers Time Forcedon’t leave an ounce of landscape aside. The cast is also rounded out by talented martial artists, including Marc Dascacos as the elder samurai Shinshiro. A casting can make or break a film, and Blade of the 47 Ronin had a cast that was more than willing to take over.

Will there be a third ’47 Ronin’ movie?

Blade of the 47 Ronin topped the streaming charts when it debuted on Netflix, but a third film was not greenlit despite ending, leaving room for another sequel. 47 Ronin director Carl Rinsch would eventually become involved with Netflix when he was tapped to develop a sci-fi series for the streamer; Rinch was sued by Netflix for fraud and money laundering. Despite its fragile heritage, Blade of the 47 Ronin It’s still worth the detour. It manages to take the supernatural elements of its predecessor and put a new spin on them, while delivering the type of high-octane sword fights you’d expect from a samurai film.

Blade of the 47 Ronin is available for streaming on Netflix.